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Apr 18, 2024
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Fitchburg State University 2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Special Education: Teacher of Students with Severe Disabilities - All Levels, B.S.E
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 Return to: Undergraduate Day Programs
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Education
Chairperson
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| Denise Sargent |
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Professors
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Associate Professors
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Assistant Professors
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William Cortezia |
Jescah Apamo-Gannon |
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Felicia Farron-Davis |
Lyndsey Benharris |
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Nancy Murray |
Lynn D’Agostino |
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Danette Day |
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Denise Sargent |
Karen DeAngelis |
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Annette Sullivan |
Laurie Link |
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Robert Shapiro |
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Deborah Turner |
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Scott Tyner |
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Education Program of Study
The Early Childhood Education (PreK-2), Elementary Education (1-6), Special Education: Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8), and Special Education: Severe Disabilities (All Levels) programs lead to an initial license. Education majors place emphasis on college coursework that honors cultural, racial, linguistic, and social diversity.
Field-based experiences begin freshman year and are enhanced by strong departmental collaboration with exemplary schools and host teachers in the region. Candidates continue to hone their skills toward becoming highly qualified, classroom-ready teachers throughout their four years at Fitchburg State University. Following their freshman year, each methodology course is paired with intensive field-based experiences that include faculty-based coaching in a PreK-2 classroom. Beginning Junior year, teacher candidates enroll in a field experience, which is a uniquely guided teaching and learning experience in a PreK-2 classroom under the supervision of a MA licensed teacher and university faculty. Candidates’ time in the field increases their first semester senior year when they enroll in a semester-long professional experience preceding the practicum. During this time, they participate in a minimum of a 150-hour Integrated Partial Practicum that is linked to methods courses where candidates continue to receive specific feedback in areas of reinforcement and refinement. To assure that our teacher candidates are classroom-ready, during their final semester they complete a full-time practicum consisting of inclusion placements in a classroom under the guidance of the program supervisor and under the direction of a supervising practitioner who is certified in the area of licensure sought by the candidate. Candidates enrolled in this course fulfill the hours for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education practicum requirements. As with all of the field experiences, candidates plan and deliver instruction to diverse learners in small group and whole class settings where they will practice and demonstrate the Subject Matter Knowledge standards (SMKs) as well as the Professional Standards for Teachers (PSTs). In addition, they will implement content coursework knowledge and pedagogy obtained from their education methods courses, connecting theory to practice. Candidates will receive targeted, specific feedback in areas of reinforcement and refinement.
Severe Disabilities— All Levels
The Education Department of Fitchburg State University fully recognizes and embraces the diversity and challenges that teachers face in today’s public and private schools. Our comprehensive program of study in the area of Severe Disabilities is one that deliberately integrates and celebrates these challenges by providing an inclusive model for teacher preparation. Each course provides research-based methods to assess students’ needs in order to differentiate instruction. Techniques and strategies that address the needs of learners with Severe Disabilities in the inclusion classroom are emphasized. Courses have been specifically designed to provide teacher candidates with content and strategies to be knowledgeable, skillful, ethical, and caring educators in the 21st century. The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure required for this program are Communication and Literacy, General Curriculum, and Mathematics Subtest.
The plan of study is as follows (See course descriptions for pre-practicum hours required): Required Field Experiences
Integrated Partial Practicum (IPP) (Senior Year)
Courses taken concurrently
Student Teaching (Senior year)
Courses taken concurrently Liberal Arts and Sciences Requirements - total 48 credits
SMT (12 cr.)
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Return to: Undergraduate Day Programs
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